Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)

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Let's Kill Hitler was the eighth episode in the sixth series of Doctor Who and the first episode in the Autumn half. Much like A Good Man Goes to War, it revealed much about River Song's origins. We also learn more about Amy and Rory's childhood and how they became a couple. It also explained why the Silence have been trying so hard to kill the Doctor all this time.

Synopsis

Hijacked at gunpoint, the TARDIS crash-lands in 1930's Berlin. There, the Doctor comes face to face with the greatest war criminal in all of history - and Hitler. To save the life of one of those dear to him, the Doctor must teach his adversaries that time travel has responsibilities. In doing so, he learns a lesson in the cruellest warfare of all, the hard way.

Plot

Rory drive through a corn field as Amy gives directions poorly. Stopping their car, they find

Amy and Rory's way of contacting the Doctor.

the Doctor standing by his TARDIS. Her holds up a newspaper with a photo of the crop circle reading "Doctor" they have just made. Amy asks if he has found Melody over hte summer. Rory examines the picture. There is a line in the message that they didn't make.

They dodge out of the way as a Corvette almost runs them over. Out steps Amy and Rory's best friend, Mels, who flirts with the Doctor and fondles the TARDIS. With the sound of police sirens signalling Mels' arrest for car theft, she points a gun at the Doctor and demands he take her to kill [[[Hitler]]".

Flashback: Mels is a childhood friend of Amy and Rory and a frequent troublemaker at school. She gets in more trouble than anyone except boys. She insults teachers, continually references the Doctor, steals and points out to Amy and Rory that they're in love. Back in the present, the TARDIS flies wildly because Mels has shot the time rotor.


In 1938 Berlin, a janitor watches a Nazi officer enter his office. In a futuristic control room, the crew discuss copying the officer as the janitor enters the officer's office. In the control room, a woman complains that the last time they relied on the computer, it "made Rasputin green". She goes to 'the top level', where an electronic voice politely threatens her after a device on her wrist briefly deactivates. She looks through a view port, which is the eye of the janitor, actually a highly advanced ship, the Teselecta. She relays color codes to the control room. The janitor becomes the officer's double and beams him aboard with a miniaturisation ray. Learning the officer's identity, the crew leave him to the "antibodies". The voice politely threatens the officer and kills him.

The Teselecta enters Adolf Hitler's office while the captain complains about the shock-absorbers malfunctioning. Hitler wonders why his officer has entered without permission and tries calling his guards. The Teselecta activates "justice mode" and paralyzes him with a beam of light from its mouth. However, one of the crew finds out that they arrived too early in his timeline.

The TARDIS crashes through the window and knocks over the Teselecta. The TARDIS occupants stagger out in a cloud of smoke caused by Mels' destruction. Hitler thanks the dumbfounded travelers for saving him and asks what the TARDIS is. The Doctor advances on him, saying it's a police box and "The British are coming!" The Teselecta picks itself up and a panicky Hitler fires at it. Rory punches out Hitler and takes his gun.

The Doctor and Amy help up the Teselecta. Rory puts Hitler in the cupboard while the Teselecta goes into observation mode - "fainting". Mels staggers forward, calling Hitler a lousy shot before collapsing; she was hit by one of the bullets. Rory tries to help her and the Doctor tries keeping Mels conscious by talking to her. Mels says she wanted to marry the Doctor and he promises he'll ask her parents when they fix her up. Mels says they're right there with them and begins to glow.

The Doctor asks Mels what her name is short for; Melody. Amy says she named her daughter after her, but the Doctor explains "you named your daughter after your daughter". Rory begins to ask questions, but Mels begins regenerating with a scream.

The crew of the Teselecta watch in bewilderment at a criminal whose crimes dwarf Hitler's - Melody Pond. Completing her regeneration, Melody is now in her River Song incarnation. She madly wanders about, babbling about her new look and goes off to weigh herself.

All three time travelers discuss that this is River Song right at the beginning; she doesn't even know her name yet. Melody asks who River is, but the Doctor refuses to tell her. She pulls out another gun, "getting back to business", which the Doctor saw coming. However, the Doctor had disarmed it. Knowing he would do this, Melody toke her other gun from the fruit bowl. However, the Doctor switched it with a banana; "Goodness, is killing you going to take all day?" The Doctor questions why she is in a hurry as she could have killed him back in Leadworth, revealing he disarmed the other gun.

Melody claims she's a psychopath, not rude; killing him when they just met would be rude. Amy wonders why she would be a psychopath as Melody explains that she was kidnapped and trained to kill the Doctor. The Doctor confirms that the purpose of Demons Run was to create his bespoke psychopath. Melody kisses him and calls him "Sweetie", but the Doctor tells her only River Song can call him that, calling her an old friend. Melody looks out at Berlin and decides to leave, warning her parents not to following her.

However, when the Doctor asks why he's not getting a warning, Melody reveals that her lipstick was poison, leaving them behind. The Doctor gives Amy his sonic screwdriver, instructing her to find Melody. Amy wonders what's wrong with her daughter as she is contradicting herself. The Doctor explains it's because of her brainwashing "plus she's a woman". Upon seeing Amy is annoyed, he tells her to shut up as he's dying. Entering the TARDIS, he orders the extractor fans on to remove the smoke.

Outside, Melody is confronted by guards, who she bluntly tells of her intention to kill Hitler; they shoot her However, Melody is unharmed as she is still within the first 15 hours of her regeneration, allowing her to send out a shock wave that heals her and knock out the guards. As she mounts a bike, Melody tells her approaching parents she's going shopping. Another guard approaches and Rory tries to explain what happened. However, seeing he can't, Rory knocks him down and steals his bike, heading off after Melody with Amy. However, the guard quickly gets back up and is revealed to be the Teselecta in a new form; it copies the bike and goes after them.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor activates the voice interface as a hologram of himself. However, he asks for someone he likes. It offers images of Rose Tyler, Martha Jones and Donna Noble, all of whom induce wails of guilt. It offers young Amelia Pond, who tells the Doctor that the poison comes from the Judas tree and prevents regeneration. The Doctor tries to get "Amelia" to help him gather his strength but it insists it is not Amelia, but a hologram. He collapses, whimpering for help, then hears "Fish fingers and custard" and drags himself to the console to confront the Teselecta.

Elsewhere, Melody enters a restaurant and orders the patrons, at gunpoint, to leave their clothes behind and flee.

Outside, Amy and Rory are wondering where she is and are looking for signs. Upon seeing the patrons of the restaurant exit in their undergarments, they realize Melody is inside. However, much to their shock, the Teselecta arrives, now in Amy's form.

Inside, Melody is working on her outfit. She then notices Amy run inside, sighing that she warned her not to come.

However, it is revealed that is actually the Teselecta as Amy and Rory wake up in the same place as the Nazi officer did.

They are nearly killed by the antibodies until a member of the crew gives wrist devices to ward off the antibodies. They are taken to the bridge, where they are told that their memories will be erased of this event when its over.

Outside, Melody comments of her appearance and speculates what to do with it. The Teselecta informs Melody that she killed the Doctor on behalf of the Silence. Melody admits that she really doesn't know as her past is all a big blur. It then captures Melody as it did Hitler. The Doctor arrives in evening clothes, asking who she killed. Melody is shocked that he would waste the time he has left to change his clothes. The Doctor uses a sonic cane to scan the Teselecta and learns Amy and Rory are inside it, getting a signal form his sonic screwdriver.

Melody tries fleeing, but is captured again. The Doctor demands that they leave her alone and to know who they are. The Teselecta explains that as a form of justice, they visit war criminals at the ends of their lives, and "give them hell", agonizing pain, while the timeline continues. The Doctor asks who wants him dead and Amy persuades the captain to tell him. It says the Silence are behind the plot to kill him. They are a religious cult who believe "silence will fall" when the oldest question in the Universe is asked. It does not know what the question is. The Teselecta resumes torturing Melody.

The Doctor tells Amy to save her daughter and Amy uses the sonic screwdriver to turn off the crew's security clearance . The antibodies attack them and they teleport to safety. Amy uses a microphone to ask the Doctor for help as they are now in danger of dying. The Doctor, struggling against the pain the poison fills him with, tries reaching the TARDIS, shocking Melody as to how he still cares for her parents. The Doctor asks for her help, calling her River. Melody becomes jealous, asking the Doctor to tell her who River is.

Inside the Teselecta, Amy and Rory are cornered by the antibodies and accept they can;t be saved. Suddenly,the TARDIS materializes around Amy and Rory, who start congratulating the Doctor. However, they find a shaken Melody in his place, saying she flew the TARDIS; it taught her how.

They go to the Doctor, but he says there is no way for him to survive. He asks to speak to Melody. He asks her to find River Song, whispers something in her ear and dies. Melody asks who "River Song" is. Amy orders the Teselecta to show them. It shifts into the form of Melody's current incarnation. Having learned that she is the Doctor's "beloved friend", she asks her parents if the Doctor is "worth it". They don't understand her question, but agree he is. Melody gives up all her incarnations to save the Doctor.

Melody wakes in the best hospital in the universe. The Doctor leaves her a TARDIS blue diary. They must let her find her own way back to them.

In 5123, Melody, now going by the name of River Song, applies at the Luna University. When asked why she wants a degree in archaeology, she says she is "looking for a good man".

Cast

Crew

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.


References

The Doctor

  • Rule 1: The Doctor lies.
  • Rule 7: Never run when you are scared.
  • Rule 27: Never knowingly be serious.
  • Rule 408: Time is not the boss of you.

The Doctor's items

Companions

  • Rose Tyler, Martha Jones and Donna Noble all appear as projections for the TARDIS voice interface, after the Doctor rejects a projection of himself and asks for "someone he likes." He rejects all three projections because of increasingly strong feelings of guilt. Finally, the TARDIS settles on a projection of the child Amelia Pond.

Foods and beverages

Religion

TARDISes

  • The temporal grace in the TARDIS, which supposedly prevents weapons fire, is said by the Doctor to be a "clever lie".

Story notes

  • This is the first episode of the Autumn half of the series. The Spring half concluded on 4 June with A Good Man Goes to War.
  • This is the second time in the Eleventh Doctor era that companions of the previous two Doctors have been mentioned or seen in a proper episode since The End of Time; Rose Tyler was previously seen (briefly) in The Lodger.
  • The images of all the former companions are taken from publicity shots. The projections of Rose and Donna are publicity images from Series 4. The projection of Martha is from a publicity image for Series 3.
  • The Doctor makes the "Doctor Who?" running joke.
  • The car Mels steals is a Chevrolet Corvette, third generation (68-82).
  • The layout of the Teselecta's bridge is deliberately reminiscent of that of the Enterprise and other Federation starships from the television series Star Trek. [source needed]
  • The TARDIS's voice interface tells the Doctor he will be dead in thirty-two minutes. Coincidentally in-universe, the invitation the future Doctor sent out to everyone in The Impossible Astronaut, to meet at Lake Silencio for the Doctor's death was for 4:30pm and according to the biographical information the Doctor is shot during regeneration and killed at 5:02pm.
  • The hand gun that Mels pulls out is an IMI Jericho 941.
  • Harriet mentions the Teselecta having transformed into Rasputin. Tom Baker played Rasputin in the movie Nicholas and Alexandra.
  • In Mels' first scene in the episode, her face cannot be seen due to the sun's glare behind her. She moves her body to block the sun and her face is shown, much like the first scene of River in The Impossible Astronaut.
  • Melody Pond says, "Hello Benjamin" to the Doctor. The Doctor previously claimed Scotland Yard's code name for her was Mrs Robinson. (DW: The Impossible Astronaut) Both reference the movie The Graduate where a younger man, Benjamin, is seduced by an older woman, Mrs Robinson.
  • On the Leadworth Chronicle, a story with the headline "BACK OF THE NECK" can be seen. This is a reference to the weakness of the Sontarans. (DW: The Poison Sky)
  • Mels steals a corvette, the same model of car featured in the film Apollo 13 and the mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. The car was a favorite model of astronauts in the 1960's and 70's.

Ratings

  • UK Overnight: 6.2 million
  • UK Final: 8.1 million

Myths

  • The Daily Mirror reported that Rose Tyler, Martha Jones and Donna Noble will appear in this episode.[1] This was half true as images of all three of them appeared but these were avatars for a TARDIS interface, rather than the characters themselves.

Filming locations

  • Swansea, Wales.

Production errors

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • When the Doctor and the TARDIS make their first appearance, they point right, towards Amy and Rory's car. However, when the camera zooms out, the Doctor and TARDIS are looking down, and not towards Amy and Rory. This also causes an error when Mels drives through the word Doctor.
  • Hitler shoots Mel in the stomach, but there is no blood or puncture hole on her dress.
  • When Rory asks "How can they just disappear?" two antibodies appear, but in the next shot there are three.
  • When the poisoned Doctor is in the TARDIS he has one of his arms up on the bannister; in the next shot he has it by his side.

Continuity

Motion comic scene

The original BBC America broadcast of the episode includes an extra scene sponsored by AT&T, which aired during a commercial break. Written by Steven Moffat, the scene is an extension of the motorcycle chase sequence with Rory and Amy. It is presented in animation/motion comic format. Lasting sixty seconds and produced by Double Barrel Motion Labs, the scene was originally promoted as being intended for inclusion in the later Series 6 DVD/Blu-ray releases, but as of early November 2011, this appears not to be the case. The ad/motion comic was only seen in America.[2][3]

Timeline

For the Doctor and Amy

For Rory

For Melody/River Song

For Amelia/Amy in the flashbacks

For Rory in the flashbacks

Home video releases

Series6.2DVD.jpg

This episode will be released on DVD and Blu-ray shortly after the airing of episode thirteen.[4]


Footnotes

  1. Mark Jefferies (17/08/2011). Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman and Catherine Tate all come back for cameo roles in Doctor Who. Daily Mirror. Retrieved on 28th August 2011.
  2. Doctor Who Motion Comic, SciFi FX, 26 August 2011, accessed 2nd November 2011
  3. AT&T to Help Tell Story of Doctor Who, Double Barrel Motion Labs webpage, accessed 2 November 2011
  4. Series 6 DVD Releases. Doctor Who TV (February 12th, 2011). Retrieved on 28th August 2011.